Deceptively Delicious

I know there's a lot of differing opinions out there, but I really love that cookbook, and my kiddos are getting their daily 5 (but they eat fruit on their own - they love the stuff, especially since I got my cherry pitter!). I know that I'm a year behind the rest of the world (what else is new? It's a well-known fact that the South is about a year behind on fashion anyway.), but my grandmother gave me that cookbook last week. It's incredible. I've been sneaking all kinds of veggies into everything, and it really really works. I went through the book before my last grocery trip & bought a few minor ingredients, fingers crossed, breath held, etc. Works like a charm, and the stuff in the cookbook is really easy. I'm going to share one recipe with you, risking a lawsuit - but I'm totally giving her credit.

And get an immersion blender to puree your veggies - you can get a cheap one at Wal-Mart for about $10, and if you decide to continue this habit - go to Williams Sonoma and invest in a nice one. But the cheap one does the trick without all of the messy clean-up of a stand-alone blender or food processor.

Baked Egg Puffs (Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield)

Nonstick cooking spra
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup yellow squash or butternut squash puree (nuke about 1 sliced fresh squash for a few minutes in the microwave in a bowl with about 2 Tbs. of water until fork pierces veggie easily, then blend in your blender or food processer)
2 Tbs. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (or whatever you have on hand. I used a little more)
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Coat 4 (1/2 cup) ramekins or coffee cups wit cooking spray and set on baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, squash puree, cheese, flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Divide the mixture among the ramekins or cups and bake until the tops are puffed up and the eggs are no longer runny in the center when pierced with the tip of a knife, 13 to 15 minutes (mine took about 20). Serve immediately.

The puffs should rise above the ramekins, but mine didn't rise above my coffee cups. So I went to World Market the next day & bought 4 ramekins. They were cheaper than Target. :) I'm doubling the recipe next time.

So I guess I have to go back to World Market tomorrow.

Candy Bar Sandwich

Not that Alec will eat this--not unless I sit on him and pry his mouth open and shove it in (then he enjoys it)--but it's delicious. It's a great way to have something sweet without feeling too guilty about it. And it tastes a lot like a snickers bar.

There are two ways to do it:

Get some Nutella spread and mix it up with some chopped up peanuts then spread it on some wholesome whole wheat bread and enjoy.

Or, spread some Nutella on one piece of bread and some chunky peanut butter on the other and slap 'em together.

It's like dessert for lunch. Mmmmmmm.....

Pizza

We make this just about every Friday, unless Zac opts out for Domino's. Mom used to make it, too - but I'm not sure of her recipe, can't be too far off from this, though. It's fun, and delicious! The kiddos love placing their toppings on it - we divvy them up into little bowls and they happily say "put one, eat one..." They're usually full by the time the pizza is ready.



1 Vented Pizza pan (haven't tried a pizza stone - if you do, let me know how it turns out)

1 Frozen Bread Loaf, thawed and risen - we get those packs of 3 or 5 from the freezer section in your local supermarket. Please feel free to be ambitious & make your own dough. I am not, however, that ambitious these days. :)

1 1/2 Tbs. Unsalted Butter

~1 Tbs. Italian seasoning - dried variety

~4 Leaves (more or less) freshly chopped basil

Handful of Shredded Parmesan

1/3 Can of Hunts No Salt Added Spaghetti Sauce - a must - it's no more than 89 cents.

3/4 bag of Italian 5 cheese blend cheese - can be generic, doesn't matter really - you can use Mozzarella if you so desire.

Various Pizza toppings - we use pepperoni, Canadian bacon, & mushrooms for the most part, but if we have Taco night on Thursdays, then I set aside a little browned ground meat before adding the Taco Seasoning. During Lent, we just use mushrooms or cheese. Knock yourself out on this one. I also like to add a little bit of artichoke or tomatoes marinated in Italian dressing if I remember.

Preheat oven to 375˚

Grease pizza pan.

(Make sure you cover your dough when you let it rise or else you'll get those nasty little dried out pieces of crusty bread.) After dough has risen, take out of container and "Atsa-mata pizza-pata" your dough into a nice, round, flat concoction that should resemble pizza dough. This technique has taken 2 years of Fridays to master. You're awesome if you can get it on the first try. Or maybe I just stink at it.

Place dough on top of pizza pan & flatten out as you go. Be careful not to make it too thin, but if you get a hole or two, it isn't the end of the world. Just mash it back together.

Melt your butter and Italian Seasonings in the microwave for about 25 - 30 seconds.

Brush butter mixture on top of dough with a pastry brush, all the way out to the crust. (The kids love this part - see holes in dough comment above)

Scatter sliced fresh basil leaves on top of that, making it as even as possible.

Sprinkle crust with a little Parmesan cheese if you have it. Use a bit of your Italian blend or Mozzarella if you don't.

Bake at 375˚ for about 10 minutes.

Take out of oven and spread your spaghetti sauce all around, leaving the crust bare.

Add toppings.

Add cheese. Don't skimp on cheese - too little is just not right.

Place back in oven & bake for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it for the last 3 - 4 minutes, all ovens act differently. Mine is gas, and we usually take it out at 19 - 20 minutes.

Slice immediately with pizza slicer & enjoy!

(You can also do the biscuit pizza alternative - just mash the dough a little more once you remove the biscuits from the tube. Very fun for kiddos - Mom used to do that with us all of the time, too.)

Painted Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I am hesitant to post this because the website is so pretty so far and our puny little sandwiches are not so pretty.  These sandwiches were really fun to make but we haven't quite perfected them yet.  You just melt butter and put a little food coloring in it and then paint them with a clean paintbrush.  Then you toast with cheese or whatever you would like.  We have to figure out a way to keep them from having a butter overload.  Some recipes call for colored milk instead of butter.  Simple and really fun for Claire.  One day we will be as good as the picture at the top.

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

This was so good! And easy. I didn't use skewers because I was lazy and made it on my indoor grill, but I bet kids would love eating the chicken off of skewers. Alec wouldn't eat it, naturally, since he's on a popcorn fast, but Adrian ate it up. The peanut sauce is out of this world. I had to keep myself from eating all of it before I served supper. Once again, this is courtesy of Eating Well.

Chicken

3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp fish sauce (buy it in the Asian section of decent grocery stores)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 lb chicken tenders

Whisk together first five ingredients in a shallow baking dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat grill to high.

Thread each chicken tender onto a skewer. Grill chicken until cooked through (about 3 minutes per side). Serve warm or chilled with peanut sauce for dipping.

Peanut sauce

2 tbsp smooth natural peanut butter
2 tbsp "lite" coconut milk
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.

This sauce will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for about 2 days.

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

I know we're trying to get away from chicken fingers, but these are really good and healthy. I'm on my third day eating them--they're great leftover, and even taste good cold right from the fridge. They'd also make a great chicken sandwich.

Makes 4 servings

Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.
2. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
3. Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.
4. Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 175 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 65 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 254 mg sodium; 79 mg potassium.

I made a dip of about half dijon mustard and half honey and it goes perfectly with these.

More Soup

I've been on a soup kick lately. Here is another winner from Eating Well. I used spinach instead of escarole and great northern beans instead of cannellini beans. It's tangy and delicious. Alec ate it up--including the spinach.

Escarole & White Bean Soup



"Don't be afraid of escarole, which looks like slightly frilly romaine lettuce, because it cooks down into a sweet and tender green. If you can't find it, substitute a 10-ounce bag of spinach. Make It a Meal: Warm crusty bread and a green salad make an excellent accompaniment."

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped garlic
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 head escarole, chopped
1/2 cup freshly shredded hard Italian cheese, such as Parmesan, Romano or Asiago

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, tomatoes, celery, carrot, garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are beginning to soften and the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in beans and escarole and cook, stirring often, until the escarole is just tender, about 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 281 calories; 13 g fat (3 g sat, 8 g mono); 5 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 12 g fiber; 542 mg sodium; 908 mg potassium.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Pork Posole

I got this recipe out of my Eating Well Healthy in a Hurry cookbook (I highly recommend it--most everything is really good). Alec ate every bite. I put some cheddar cheese and sour cream on top. Yum! The hominy has the texture of potatoes. It's delicious.

“Traditionally a long-simmered stew, this Mexican-inspired stew is quick and easy, thanks to canned hominy. Searing the pork loin in the pot before making the stew gives you a great base of flavors so the stew seems as if it indeed simmered all afternoon. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with warm tortillas on the side.”

Makes 6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each

1 tablespoon canola oil

3/4 pound boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat and diced

1 large onion, diced

2 tablespoons plus 2 cups water, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cornmeal

2 15-ounce cans hominy, rinsed (see Ingredient note)

2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, stirring once, until just browned on one or two sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low; add onion and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and golden brown and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin and coriander and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Whisk in the remaining 2 cups water, broth and cornmeal. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring often. Add hominy, chiles, pepper and salt; return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until the onion is very soft and the mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice to taste.

3. Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 251 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 34 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 16 g protein; 5 g fiber; 510 mg sodium; 209 mg potassium.

Ingredient Note: Hominy is white or yellow corn that has been treated with lime to remove the tough hull and germ. Dried, ground hominy is the main ingredient in grits. Canned, cooked hominy can be found in the Mexican section of large supermarkets—near the beans.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Either they ate it because I put dinner off 30 minutes later than usual, or it was pretty good. Or maybe it was because "Lightning McQueen" eats it. We may never know...I thought it was delicious, and Daddy seemed to like it, too. So, I suppose we could add "Stuff Our Parents Will Eat" to this one.

Compliments of allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (I used the frozen, chopped mix that has celery, red peppers, bell peppers, etc. - major time saver)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese (any cheese really - I used the pizza blend from Wal-Mart, the kind that has cheddar in it, plus a little bit of Parmesan that I had leftover. It wasn't quite 3 cups - so don't rush out to the store to buy Muenster, it really isn't necessary unless that's just the flavor you're after.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

(I also added a can of drained mushrooms & some bacon bits - the kind that come in a bag that are more bacon-y than bitt-y, some people recommended chopped ham, but it would be just as good without it.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated. I put in a little salt & green tabasco here, too. Not in the recipe, but I just love that green stuff.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes - possibly longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

You can mix it up beforehand and pop in the oven when you're ready. Yummy. And it's Atkins friendly! Another variation is to pour it into those mini-muffin tins, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes instead, and they're great appetizers. Freeze well, too.

Soft Tacos

Heh - it's the little, simple things that keep them fat & happy. Like soft tacos.

We tried these before with little success, but I figured out the secret...let them build their own. We line up their little chairs in the kitchen amidst a vast selection of cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, pico (only in the summer - we use our garden's cilantro, tomatoes, diced onions, salt, & lime), and taco meat. They just love making their own little tacos. I have to emphasize soft tacos, not hard. They're still picky about that.

Get yourself a taco dinner kit or go all out & use the following taco seasoning mix from allrecipes.com. It makes a bunch, so you can save it in a jar for future use. (2 very heaping tablespoons equals about one seasoning packet.)

* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (less if preferred)
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper (or cayenne)

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.


Turn on some salsa music & dance while the meat is cooking & veggies are getting chopped. They love it! Joe's quite the little dancer lately, too! He was able to pick up a few steps on his first shot - amazing!

I really need to invest in some sombreros...

Pasta Dish

This one is from a friend of mine named Andrea - she said they make it all of the time, and I think the ingredients will be on my next grocery list. Sounds great!

Quoted Text from Andrea:

Use the Barilla Plus a multi grain angle hair pasta - in the yellow box-Wal-Mart has it...( really great- taste like reg noodles- but good for you) cook them as normal ... with a little salt

At same time ...In a skillet combine Saturnine ( white) cooking wine with garlic and lemon juice as much as you like of each.

If you want some butter- throw that in too... Add some black pepper..

Add some fresh basil leaves (take them out before giving to the kids cuz they are green!!!!)

Stir it together add the cooked angle hair pasta and throw in some sliced roma tomatoes- all done in about 10 minutes! We LOVE THIS!!! Its really good! And good for you!

If you add cheese any kind it's good and cheesier

And another trick if you want it creamy just add a little pet milk- hummm very good.

We do eat this a lot!


If you've never tried the multi grain pasta here's the link-

http://www.barillaus.com/Home/pages/Barilla_Plus.aspx

We've tried wheat pasta its not so great- but this looks like reg pasta and tastes even better- even my dad will eat it...

End quote.

Thanks, Andrea!

Chicken Enchiladas

(Guess who bought tortillas at the grocery store this week)

You might want to add more seasoning to this and maybe tomatoes, but it was bland enough for the kids to eat, and it was much better the second day. I'd probably use chicken that I cooked myself next time, but I was pressed for time & this was super fast! And the kids ate it as long as they were able to cut it with our butter knives.

And I know that Mom & Ms. Susan have better alternative recipes than this - so if you send them to me, I'll post them!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes


1 Tbs butter
1/2 c. chopped green onion (I used a little less because I can't find my kitchen shears)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I used minced garlic)
1 (4 oz. can diced green chilies)
1 (10.75 oz. can) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast meat (here's where I went wrong & used the canned stuff - but it was easier - one day I'll have time ;) )
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
6 12 inch flour tortillas
1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking dish.
In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute green onions until tender. (about 3 - 4 minutes). Add the garlic, then stir in the green chilies, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream. Mix well. Reserve 3/4 of this sauce & set aside. To the remaining 1/4 of the sauce in the saucepan, add the chicken and 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese. Stir together.

Fill each flour tortilla with the chicken mixture & roll up. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the reserved 3/4 of the sauce with the milk. Spoon this mixture over the rolled tortillas and top with the remaining 1/2 c. cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Not bad, the kids ate it. :)

Wraps

I know it's not the most creative of all meals, but it's the only way I can get Lilly to eat a sandwich. I know sometimes I get into a rut of making the same thing, day after day, so this is a gentle reminder that there's more than one way to make a sammich.

Basic Wrap:
1 soft tortilla (white or wheat - our kids actually prefer wheat, go figure)
thinly sliced lunchmeat (the cheap kind that you can get 2 for $1)
provolone cheese (1 or 2 slices)
thinly sliced tomatoes (can add salt & garlic powder)
lettuce or sprouts
avocado, thinly sliced (if it's on hand)

You can put condiments like mayo, mustard, etc., but we usually don't. They don't care much for the stuff. I haven't tried dill relish, but I bet the pickle queen would love it! You can use any normal sandwich stuff. I know, everyone probably knows all about wraps, but like I said, ya just get into a rut sometimes and need something different.

Roll it up & keep it stuck with a toothpick if you think they'll take it out before it punctures the roof of their little mouths. Otherwise, well, I don't know. Tie it with string?? Heh.

Also try PB&J. But mix it up before you spread it. It'll stick better. And you won't have to use the toothpick. Or string.

Hummus

I know it's not a meal, but it's a great snack.

Here's a really simple recipe for hummus dip (courtesy of MediterrAsian.com) that Alec and Adrian absolutely love. Alec will happily eat it with a spoon. It's the funniest thing to kiss an 18 month old and find that he has major garlic breath.

2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
14 oz can chick peas drained and rinsed
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste you can buy in decent grocery stores--not in my town!)
salt to taste

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process until creamy. I usually add cumin or chili powder to make it interesting, but it's delicious as is. You can make a double recipe--it freezes really well.

We usually dip Triscuits in it, but we especially love it when we can either find pre-packaged whole wheat pita chips, or I take whole wheat pita bread and make my own chips (cut into strips and put them in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes). Last time I even made my own pita bread and discovered it's good but not worth the trouble.

For low carb, celery sticks also taste great dipped in hummus.

Who really has the time to cook anyway?

I don't have enough on my plate. And now, neither do the kids! And that's a good thing because...

We're slowly discovering that there are other things out there than chicken nuggets, french fries, and PB & J. My goal is to post easy recipes for food that Lilly & Joe will actually willingly consume without the fancy decorated airplane spoon entrance into the hanger of Joe's tic tac teeth filled mouth.

So, without further ado, I'll post tonight's recipe. It was a hit, which I'm so happy to say Zac prepared for us with a side of his world-famous salad and green beans! Mmmmmmm. I didn't even miss my sweets on the first day of Lent after this meal...

(compliments of allrecipes.com)

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 15 minutes
Yields: 8 servings

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbs. Mayonaise (Hellman's)
2 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil (we used Italian seasoning because it was on-hand)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
2 lbs. tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. (we used the high setting - ours has 2 settings)

Grease a broiling pan or line with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayo & lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder & celery salt. Mix well & set aside.

Arrange fillets on a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over & broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven & cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook the fish.

And that's it! Easy breezy!